Filling in the Gap
by Theotherhalfofdarkness
Summary: AUParental!Roy/Ed Mustang and Ed get sent on a mission and disaster strikes. Left to find their way back the pair has to work together to return to Amestris and those waiting for them. Extremely fluffy, at least I plan to do that. I like fluff, sue me. So yeah, Fluff, amnesia, parentalness, probably extreme OOC because lets be real. anything Parental!Roy/Ed is going to be a bit OOC
1. Chapter 1

Ed stared out the window as the train left the station, fighting back a yawn. Alphonse waved to him as he faded into the distance. Ed sat back in his seat, crossing his arms and legs; glaring at his companion whom was one Roy Mustang who looked even more grumpy than Ed did.

They had been assigned to a recon mission up north in the cold. They had a station posted up there that monitored the border between Amestris and Drachma but one of the posts had gone silent. Fuhrer Bradley was currently holding a grand ceremony that decorated some general or another and so by consequence no one was available to go except Fullmetal. Being young in the military still Mustang's superiors decided to send Mustang himself along to "supervise." Mustang had made it clear he wasn't any happier than Ed to be coming out here very early on when giving the mission to him. The worst part about it? he was going disguised as his son. It wasn't the first time they'd done that, it had to have been done a couple times before. Ed just didn't understand why they had to be disguised this time.

"Why did you not let Alphonse come along anyway, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked, keeping a stoic expression as he stared out the window.

"He's been wanting to see Winry and I just don't feel comfortable having him come to a place where he could freeze over. Especially since he won't know he's freezing until he can no longer move." Mustang nodded his head, not responding.

And that was how much of the train ride progressed, dull refusal of the person across from them. Ed was mad at Mustang for giving him this mission when he could be following leads on the philosopher's stone. Mustang was mad at Ed because the young alchemist couldn't understand that if Mustang could he would send Edward away with a lead. That was, if he had any.

Ed eventually fell asleep, his head pressed against the window, face looking close to peaceful save for the occasional wince. Mustang produced a book from a pocket a while ago and was currently reading by the light of the train. Outside trees and fields dashed by in a blur of greens and browns, they had to be a few hundred miles away by this point. The train clacked along, the chatter of the passengers rising above it. Mustang stared amusedly at the sleeping subordinate, contemplating whether he should draw on the boy's face or not. Fullmetal would probably wake up and break his arm in retribution, but it'd still be funny for the first few moments. Mustang smiled thinking about Edward's reaction. He was glad that Hawkeye hadn't come along for 'protection', she wouldn't approve of any of the minor pranks Mustang had planned. Still he missed her presence, she wouldn't have fallen asleep on him and eliminate all chances of conversation. Not that he was complaining, the peace and quiet was a nice change from the normal loud yelling of Fullmetal whenever he came to call.

The squeal of the train increased an octave. Mustang and the passengers all cringed at the ear-piercing sound. Ed jerked awake, his eyes going wide and his eyes darting everywhere.

"What's going on!?" He yelled over the sound of the train. Mustang opened his mouth to reply but at that moment the train rocked sharply to one side and he had to hold onto his seat for dear life. The train fell to its side and Mustang lost his grip. His head hit the roof and that was all that he remembered.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He opened his eyes and looked up, blinking slowly. Leafy boughs greeted his eyes, blowing gently in the wind. He groaned and sat up, his head pounding like a beast. Looking around he saw fire. He jumped up quickly despite the wobble in his steps and backed himself up into a tree. Getting a better look of his surroundings he saw that wreckage was everywhere. In the trees, in the earth, and in the fires. A train crash maybe? That's what the larger chunks of debris made it look like. He looked around for survivors but it seemed all the people had vanished. Or had he been the only one on the train? Maybe he had been further back than the rest? He couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried to. Had he hit his head? He scoped one hand up carefully, feeling for any damage. Pulling his hand back it came away red and sticky. Head injury then. That was just great. What was he supposed to be doing now? Find survivors and hope that they knew who the hell he was.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mustang whacked another branch aside as he walked through the forest. His eyes scanned the tree lines for any snatches of red or gold, signs of Fullmetal. Nothing made itself known to him and he was getting worried. Not that to anyone else he would ever express concern for the short subordinate of his. Worse yet was that they were close to enemy territory. At this point he was just looking for signs of other people. He hadn't seen hide nor hare of a soul since he awoke among the wreckage. He couldn't even be sure if he was heading in the right direction at this point. Despite this oddity his primary concern was finding Fullmetal before some of the area's more… unsavory people, did so.

The borders between Amestris and Drachma had recently become skewed and more and more frequently. Worse yet, he had not told Fullmetal why there was the need for hiding their identities. Fullmetal's rapidly growing reputation has gotten certain enemies of the nation on the alert for him. They knew what he looked like and it wouldn't do well for them to find him in his trademark coat. He really should have told Fullmetal to change into his disguise before they left.

There was no changing the past though, all he could do now was move forward. Sighing, Mustang picked his pace up; fueled by concern for the young alchemist who was his responsibility.

Stepping over a tree root a flash of bright red passed between two trees in the distance, catching his attention. Mustang began to run, had that been Fullmetal or was it a Drachma spy? He had no way of knowing which for certain but he had to find out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He looked over his shoulder as he dashed between the trees. Was the blue coated man still following him? He couldn't see but had to assume that he was. If he stopped moving now he could be caught, and he wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or not. He wasn't sure of anything right now and he couldn't trust anyone. The man chasing him could easily be the reason the train had been wrecked.

He ran on. He found out one of his arms and legs are fake, after having kicked a tree and actually splintering the bark on it without feeling pain. He didn't know why he hadn't been aware of the missing appendages sooner, he just sort-of assumed they had been there since he could use his limbs as it was. It was scary being able to feel his limbs even though they were prosthetics. He wondered what could have happened to him to have had his limbs removed. It must have been a horrible event. He shuddered thinking about all that could have happened.

Caught up in his thoughts as he was he had failed to pay attention to where he was going. That's why he was so surprised when he slammed face-first into a large chest. Stumbling back, he looked up at a large beefy man who did not look nice at all. The large man sneered down at him and he became aware of just how short he was. He must be a kid or something to be this short.

"Well, look here. What are you doing out here all alone, kid?"

He stepped away from the large man quickly. "I'm not lost," he lied quickly.

"Then what would you be doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" The man was stepping forward for every step that he took back now.

"I could be asking you the same question."

He was backed up against the tree now, his eyes widened as he began the feel panic clawing at his chest. Fight or flight, survive or die. He was terrified. The sneer of the other man turned into a broad grin as he inched closer. "Say," the man said. "That wouldn't happen to be the red cloak belonging to the Fullmetal Alchemist now is it?"

"The who?"

The man looked angry now. "Don't play with me, boy! You're going to get it for lying to me!" With the man raised his fist.

"Stop!"

Both of them turned to look at the new stranger and he recognized the new guy as the blue coated person who he had been running from. "Amestrian!" the angry man yelled at the black haired one.

The black haired man gave a self-satisfied smirk and snapped his fingers. Fire, the other man was on fire. The angry man yelped and danced back. Taking his chance, he ran away from the angry man and hid behind the black haired man who was also taller than him.

The black haired man looked back at him, surprised. Then he turned forward again and focused on the man he had set aflame. "Drachman," the Amestrian spat.

The Drachman had put the flames out at this point, he hadn't seen how, and pulled a gun; firing off two quick shots. Both shots missed the black haired man, and consequently missed him as well. The black haired man snapped his fingers again and shot a bolt of fire at the Drachman.

Alchemy. The Amestrian was doing alchemy. How did he know that though? He didn't get a chance to analyze the new bit of knowledge as he was pressed to the ground by the Amestrian as one of the rounds fired came too close to home.

That was also the Drachman's last round. He and the Amestrian watched as the Drachman clicked his gun uselessly before casting it aside and turning tail. He half expected for the Amestrian to begin pursuit but rather the black haired man knelt down to look at him.

"Are you okay?" the Amestrian asked, concern laced in his voice.

It was then that he became aware he was shaking pretty badly and close to tears. "I'm… I'm okay," he said quickly, fighting the urge to blink lest tears begin to fall.

"You certainly don't look like you're okay, what happened? And why did you run from me?

Now the tears really were falling. He wiped his eyes furiously with his human arm, feeling ashamed. The man kneeling before him was obviously in the military, they probably didn't have time for sniveling children like he apparently was. "Because… I don't know who you are, or who I am."


	2. Chapter 2

Mustang looked across the fire at the boy who was still asleep, wrapped in the red coat that no longer meant anything. After having admitted that he didn't remember who he was, Fullmetal… No, Edward; had promptly passed out cold. What was he going to do with an alchemist who didn't even remember he was an alchemist? He didn't know what to do at all, this was completely out of his depth. Mustang didn't know what he should tell the boy when he woke up. The truth? If he did that there was no guarantee of how the boy would respond. He could go into a complete panic over it, after all he was just… just a child. A child who didn't know what was going on, a child who was lost and confused. The Fullmetal alchemist was gone now. The Fullmetal alchemist wouldn't have hidden behind Mustang when he was attacked. The Fullmetal alchemist wouldn't have cried after having been threatened, or fainted for that matter. A child would though, and that was what the alchemist was now. If he had ever been anything but that.

Mustang sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to think still. The mission was obviously going to have to be postponed on account of Edward's memory loss. He just had to get him and Edward back to Amestris without getting caught by Drachmen spies that got past Fort Briggs.

But how would he explain that to Edward?

It didn't seem like he'd get a chance to think his response through, as Edward began to stir. The boy sat up, tossing his braid over his shoulder and yawning. Mustang watched in amusement as the blond alchemist rubbed his eyes and looked around, still half-asleep.

It didn't take long for him to come to his senses though. Mustang could tell the instant Edward remembered what little he had. The boy tensed up and drew back from the fire, on the defensive.

"Calm down," Mustang said quickly, before he went into an all-out panic attack. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Colonel Roy Mustang. I'm a friend."

Ed stared at him for a long time, as if trying to find some sign that proved that Mustang wasn't actually a friend. Finally, he nodded and seemed to relax a little. "Do you… do you know who I am?"

Mustang opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind, he had no room for thought or the boy would begin to distrust him again. And at that moment he couldn't afford to lose any ground he gained with Edward. "Your name is Edward Mustang, you're my son."

He had to fight the sudden urge to clap a hand over his mouth in shock. Where had that come from? Why had he just done that!? There were so many better excuses than that to say but it was too late for that now.

Ed for his part seemed surprised by the statement. He blinked a couple times and then grabbed his hair and pulled it around front. He scrutinized it then looked to Roy's hair before asking. "But… Do we even look anything alike?"

Roy smiled slightly. "Well you were adopted."

"Oh…" Ed said, looking slightly disappointed.

"Hey," Roy said quickly, knowing exactly what Ed was thinking. "Just because you were adopted doesn't make you any less. Heck it makes you even better because I chose you, not anyone else but you."

Ed gave a wry smile and nodded, seeming to accept the words for what they were. "I guess you've dealt with this kind of stuff from me once already?"

Roy smiled back and nodded, "In a way."

Ed frowned, looking more closely at Roy, as though he was trying to remember him. "You don't seem all that concerned."

"I hide it well is all," Roy answered truthfully. "You have to when you're in the military."

"Really?" Ed asked curiously, his eyes sparkling. "Do you use alchemy a lot?"

"Not as often as you'd think. I only do it when the situation calls for it."

Ed opened his mouth, but Roy held up a hand to silence him. "I think that we should hold off questions for now. We both need to get some sleep; it's going to be a lot of walking tomorrow."

Ed frowned. "But I don't even know what is going on, I think I should be able to ask a few questions more. Maybe it'll help me re-jog my memory!"

Roy sighed, "I know, Fu-...Ed. I want you to get your memory back as well. It's just there's other things going on right now that sadly take priority over getting your memory back. We were in a train wreck and it's not safe from what you can tell. We have to make our top priority getting back to Amestris, to home. Then we can work on recovering your memories."

Ed opened his mouth and Roy expected a protest of some sort, or a tantrum. Instead Ed closed it again and nodded. "Okay," was all he said.

Ed scooted a little closer to the fire before bundling down in his cloak, shivering in the cold air. Mustang frowned, sitting and thinking until the fire was simply embers. Why had he lied to Ed like that? He could have said a million, a billion, other things but instead he said he was boy's father. Was it because that was the disguise they were going under in the first place? Was it because of something… more?

Who knows.

Roy saw Ed shiver in his sleep. Standing up Roy removed his coat and draped it over the boy. They'd have to burn their coats both tomorrow to avoid being recognized. There's a village ten miles from here or so, they should be able to make it before the real cold set in.

Walking back to his spot he laid down and closed his eyes, taking his own advice. In minutes he was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Ed was running as quickly as he could through the forest. The sun was setting quickly and if he was caught in the dark he'd be killed. Behind him trees crashed to either side as he ran, the large thuds of heavy footsteps behind him. His breath was misting in front of him, he was scared. Very, very, scared. Where was dad anyway? Where was anyone? Why was he alone in the forest, had they been separated? What was chasing him anyway?

Ed glanced over his shoulder but didn't see anything except a large dark shadow with glowing red eyes, creepy. He couldn't keep this pace up forever; his legs were getting heavier with every step. Ed tripped and fell to the ground, scrabbling to get away. He managed to get to his feet again and turned to find the shadow upon him. He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. The shadow grabbed him by the throat and then-

"Ed, wake up!"

Ed's eyes shot open. He sat up, his jaw snapping shut which had moments before been open in a large scream. His eyes were watering over and he couldn't see right but he saw the outline of his dad in front of him. He threw his arms up around the neck of his dad and buried his face in his shoulder, sobs wracking his body.

His dad stiffened briefly under him before relaxing and bringing his arms up to hold Ed closer while he sobbed. It took a while for Ed to calm down. Every time he came even remotely close to being calm the memory of the shadow creature would resurface and send him into a new wave of panic. During those times he fisted his dad's shirt as hard as he could and burrowed deeper into his dad's hold. His dad spoke to him the whole time, telling him it was just a nightmare, and that he was okay. That it was safe.

Finally, Ed pulled away and wiped his eyes, sniffling a little. "I'm sorry, dad. I guess I don't normally do that."

"What makes you say that?" Mustang asked gently, still holding Ed in his lap.

"Because you looked so surprised. Was I really independent or something?"

Dad laughed, "Just a bit. Don't worry, Ed. I think I understand what you're going through. Now come on, we need to get moving. It'll do you good."

They stood and Ed sheepishly handed Mustang his coat back, holding it out in one hand. His dad took it and gave a wistful look to it before casting it to the ground. "Ed, you're going to have to remove your coat as well."

If asked Mustang would have said that he honestly expected some form of argument from the boy, memory or no. When he read stories of people who lost their memories they generally centered around people who had some innate sense of what they had been attached too. Like trusting someone because they have a hunch or whatnot.

In actuality that was apparently not how things went as Ed calmly removed it and tossed it with Roy's. Mustang pulled out one of his ignition gloves and put it on, snapping his fingers. The clothing lit up and burned slowly, so as not to spread very far. Roy led Ed away from the fire with a hand on his arm.

"Hey, dad?" Ed asked, finally looking away from the glowing embers. "Did something ever happen to me involving fire?"

"Yeah. Back before I adopted you, the old place where you lived caught fire and burned to the ground."

"Is that why I have automail?"

"No, that was a different accident."

"Oh." Roy could tell that Ed wanted to ask further but he was glad when the boy kept quiet. He needed time to think of enough lies to keep Ed going while they waited for either his memory to return or for them to safely reach Amestris. It seemed like a lot of work but Roy knew it'd be easier than coming out with the truth. After all, how would this version of Ed be expected to march on when he is told that he is actually a military alchemist who transmuted his own mother and lost his brother's body and limbs? It was too much for anyone, let alone a boy with no memory.

Ed was getting tired, Roy could tell. The day had started out strong, they had a good pace and the weather was even fair. Around midday though they had stopped for lunch and Ed had let out a yawn. After that the yawns became increasingly frequent and Ed's eyes began drooping as they walked. Every now and then they'd walk through a clearing and he'd try to perk back up, slapping his face, or staring up at the clear blue sky. It didn't get any better though and Mustang found himself slowing down so that the boy could keep up. He didn't know why Fullmetal was so tired, they hadn't been setting all that hard of a pace. They hadn't gotten up abnormally early and they hadn't gone to sleep extremely late. It was odd to say the least.

Ed stumbled over a tree root, falling to his hands and knees. If he hadn't given a yelp as he had fallen Roy probably wouldn't have even noticed, so caught up in his thoughts as he was. Roy turned quickly and saw Ed picking himself back up off the ground, wiping the dirt off of his pants. Roy sighed and shook his head, "You okay?" he asked.

Ed nodded, trying to hide a yawn behind a stretch. "Yeah, I'm good. Sorry, dad." They had spoken a few times throughout the day, Ed asking questions about his past and stuff; trying to remember memories that weren't there. Roy had answered as closely to the truth as he could without giving away that the tale of a life he had with Ed was one big lie. The more they had talked throughout the day the more Mustang felt he was digging himself into a bigger hole. No matter how many times they talked throughout the day, Roy felt that he'd never get used to Ed calling him dad.

Ed opened his mouth to say something else but ended up tripping at that moment. He hit the ground and wasn't quick enough to catch himself this time. Before he could think too much about his actions, Roy bent down and scooped Ed up into his arms. Ed let out a surprised yelp at being picked up and struggled in Roy's grip.

"Easy, Ed. Just me," Roy soothed as best he could. Ed calmed down quickly and looked up at his dad, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

"I can walk…"

"I know you can. It's just quicker this way."

Ed opened his mouth to argue some more but seemed to decide not to. Rather he wrapped his arms around Roy's neck and let himself be carried. Roy was half-surprised at the lack of arguments but it made sense in a way. Ed wasn't one to argue these days.

"Did you carry me like this when I had no memories?" Ed asked.

"Not often, no. You had this thing about height and refused to be picked up because in your mind that meant you were short." Roy looked over at Ed, searching for a sign of a memory coming to life in his eyes. "Do you even care that you're short now?"

Ed frowned. "How old am I?"

"Thirteen."

Ed shrugged. "Nope, I don't really care. I saw my reflection earlier and I thought I was eight."

They fell silent as Roy moved through the forest. Ed held onto Roy with one arm while using his other to push aside branches that hung low in their faces. The forest was strangely silent as they walked, nothing making a sound save for that of Mustang's footsteps. It was eerie to say the least

Despite the unsettling tension they both must have been feeling Ed managed to fall asleep in Roy's arms anyway, his head hitting the crook of Roy's shoulders. He snored softly as Roy now searched for a place to set up camp. He found a clearing a few miles from where he had begun his search, a place that looked to have been used for a campsite the other day given the wood and ashes in the middle of it. Mustang set Ed down on the grass and knelt beside the ashes. Pinching a small bit between his fingers he couldn't detect any warmth in it, at least a day old then. Roy wondered if it was survivors of the train crash who had camped here, maybe he and Ed weren't the only survivors? Then again there was the Drachmans wandering about that made him very unsettled. Maybe he and Ed were the only ones who hadn't been taken…

Mustang pushed the thoughts aside. There was no point in contemplating it because in their current condition they couldn't do anything about it. There was no help for it

AN: Thanks to all my supporters :) It really means a lot to me that you all take your time to read this piece of horse dung ^-^


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